Johnny Bravo
Johnny Bravo is an American animated television series created by Van Partible for Cartoon Network, and the second of the network's Cartoon Cartoons. The series centers on the title character, a muscular and boorish young man who tries to get women to date him, though he is usually unsuccessful. He ends up in bizarre situations and predicaments, often accompanied by celebrity guest characters such as Adam West or Donny Osmond. Pop culture references and sly adult-oriented jokes comprise much of the show's humor. Partible pitched the series to Hanna-Barbera's animation showcase What a Cartoon!, basing it on his senior thesis project he produced while attending Loyola Marymount University. A pilot short aired on Cartoon Network in 1995, and was followed by two more shorts; the popularity of the shorts led to the network commissioning a half-hour series, which premiered on July 14, 1997. The series was renewed for a second season in 1999, during which Partible left and the show was retooled under the direction of Kirk Tingblad. In 2003, Partible returned to the series for a fourth season, restoring it to its original format and style. It ended on August 27, 2004, with a total of four seasons and 67 episodes. Johnny Bravo the series was nominated for 4 Annie Awards, 1 YoungStar Award, and 2 Golden Reel Awards. The series is notable for helping launch the careers of several cartoonists, including Seth MacFarlane and Butch Hartman. Spin-off media include comic books, DVD and VHS releases, collectible toys, and video games. The series centers on Johnny Bravo (voiced by Jeff Bennett), a muscular, boorish, and dimwitted self-proclaimed womanizer with a pompadour hairstyle and an Elvis-like voice. The series is set in Aron City, (a nod to Elvis Presley's middle name). Episodes typically revolve around him trying to get a woman to go on a date with him, though his advances are usually rejected and result in the woman in question causing him harm in a comedic way. Johnny's companions are Bunny "Momma" Bravo (Brenda Vaccaro), his lively, extroverted mother; and Little Suzy (Mae Whitman), a talkative and intelligent little girl from the neighborhood who has a crush on Johnny. Recurring characters in the series include Carl Chryniszzswics (Tom Kenny), an eccentric and timid nerd who idolizes Johnny despite being bullied by him; Pops (Larry Drake), the greedy owner of the local diner who provides advice to Johnny; Master Hamma (Brian Tochi), a Japanese martial arts instructor who teaches Johnny; Donny Osmond (himself), a cheery and optimistic teen idol who irritates Johnny; and Jungle Boy (Cody Dorkin), a little boy who resides in the jungle with talking animals and possesses incredible strength. Much of the series' humor is derived from celebrity guest star appearances and references to popular culture. For example; one episode of the first season is based around homages to The Twilight Zone, and in another episode, one of the Village People can be seen in the background. The series has had numerous guest stars, including Adam West, Shaquille O'Neal, Seth Green, and Donny Osmond. In the first season, creator Van Partible intended for the show's middle segment to be a form of "Johnny Bravo Meets...", a parody of The New Scooby-Doo Movies, which would features appearances from popular 1970s icons, but guest stars were used informally after the second season began. Many Hanna-Barbera characters had cameo appearances in the series, including the cast of Scooby-Doo, Speed Buggy, Jabberjaw, Fred Flintstone, Yogi Bear, The Blue Falcon, Black Widow, and Huckleberry Hound. Adult humor is found in many episodes of the show. In one episode, when Suzy calls Johnny to ask if he wants to come over, Johnny nonchalantly tells her to "call back in 15 years when is a co-ed." In regard to the adult humor, Butch Hartman stated "...being concerned with the content of the episodes wasn't our main focus", and creator Van Partible remembers that "No one was really watching Cartoon Network ... As far as content, they were pretty lenient on all the kind of things that were going on." Cast Category:Cartoon Network Studios Category:Hanna-Barbera Category:Hanna-Barbera Shows Category:Cartoons